The Dream Rebound
by Rapha7
Summary: Sakuragi returns to Shohoku and the team after getting treatment for his back injury, but things aren't going the way he envisions, especially with Rukawa. Set after the end of the manga. RuHana. Yaoi content. Graphic.
1. Chapter 1

**The Dream Rebound**

**By Rapha7**

---Original story and characters belong to Takehiko Inuoe.

---A fanfic with yaoi content. RuHana.

---Thanks for the reviews. I posted this before I realized not all of the formatting worked with the upload. So some of the distinctive markers were removed between sections and I didn't catch it. I like these characters, so maybe there'll be a sequel…

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Sakuragi Hanamichi bounced the ball experimentally. It felt a bit foreign after so long without touching a basketball. Here he was, at the neighborhood court, free from the prying eyes of the team and Haruko. Here he was, trying to find his basketball sense once more. The team would definitely need him soon; the winter tournament would be coming. Yet, there loomed a large question mark in Hanamichi's mind. What if he couldn't play anymore? What if his injury would permanently bar him from playing again? If that were the case, how could he face Haruko, Gori, even the Kitsune.

Sakuragi bounced the ball, and then ran toward the backboard, dribbling. "Commoner's Shot." He proclaimed, and cried out in pain as his hand got too close to the rim and slammed into it. "Ouch! Damn it!" Sakuragi landed on both feet, while the basketball, having bounced from his hand hit the surrounding fence of the court. "SHIT!"

His flesh tingling after his first mistake, Sakuragi scowled fiercely. "I am a genius! A genius player who was recently injured, therefore a few mistakes are going to happen. But I will definitely beat Rukawa!" This last line repeated in his head like a mantra, and he surged forward again…and again…and again…the first practice on his own after his rehabilitation…didn't go so well.

"ARGHH!" Sakuragi hit the ground, sweating profusely. His endurance needed a little tuning. Maybe he should go for a run after this. He wiped his brow and swept a hand past his freshly growing red hair. The spikes had smoothed out into a short red cut that reminded him of a rice bowl. Maybe he should get a haircut too.

A shadow lurking in the bushes at the edge of the court moved forward, "Oi, reject."

"Huh?" Sakuragi lifted his head and found himself staring at a stranger. The new arrival stood very tall, with the sun behind his back, so Sakuragi felt as if he were looking at a dark shadow, rather than a person. "Oni?"

"What did you say! Ah…never mind." The sharp retort was broken off, and the unfamiliar voice continued, "As I was saying, if you, the worst basketball reject I've ever seen, are finished, I'd like to use the court. Move!"

Sakuragi clambered to his feet a little slowly for him, but since his injury nothing seemed up to his usual level. He found himself on eye level with a dark shadow at first. His eyes adjusted and the person seemed to mold from shadow into living being instantaneously.

"Huh?" Sakuragi repeated, his mind was having a little trouble adjusting to the sudden rudeness of the newcomer, and the strange appearance didn't help matters. The tall sixteen year old was staring at another sixteen or seventeen year old boy, who had two sets of earrings in his ears and wore his hair blonde and spiky. "Sendoh?" Sakuragi said aloud, wonderingly.

"Who the hell is Sendoh?" the newcomer snapped angrily, "I'm Tenshi. Now get the hell off my court before I move you myself."

Sakuragi blinked. Well the stranger did have the same appearance as Sendoh, except for the edgy attitude, earrings and bleached blond hair.

"Yeah." Sakuragi nodded. Normally he'd head-butt the guy into oblivion and declare his genius loudly, but the idea that his awful performance was witnessed made him queasy and nervous. "I'm finished." The words echoed in his mind. What if he couldn't play basketball? As Sakuragi picked up his ball, one-handed, he cast a glance at the newcomer. But some things are hard to change, even if there are injuries, doubts, and backsliding skills to consider.

In a lightning flash movement, Sakuragi head-butted the guy, who fell on his behind on the pavement and looked startled, rather than hurt. "I am Sakuragi Hanamichi! I'm the number one Tensai at Shohoku's basketball team! Sendoh is much better than you could ever hope to be and I will defeat him! And Rukawa too!" Sakuragi stalked off, whistling his tensai song, while carrying the ball under one arm and his bag over the other.

"**That** was Sakuragi Hanamichi?" Tenshi pursed his lips, "Bastard," rubbing his sore forehead, "He's just like they said…"

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Sitting at one of their favorite restaurants known for their cheap, but good food, Sakuragi and his army sat at a booth.

"Hanamichi, pass the soy sauce…" Youhei requested patiently. The redhead was zoned out again, his food virtually untouched on his tray.

"It's no good, Mito, he's sure out of it today!" One of the group laughed, passing the soy sauce.

"It's been a while since you were here with us, Hanamichi." Youhei captured his attention.

"Yeah."

"So your back is finally good to go…"

"Yeah, at least that's what the doctors said."

Youhei frowned at his listless companion. "What's wrong, Hanamichi?"

'What if I'm not a tensai anymore? What if the injury took it away?' Sakuragi wanted to say the words aloud, but there are some things that a man doesn't reveal to all and sundry. Especially these four. They'd tease him to no end. As if reading his thoughts…

"I can't wait for Hanamichi to get back on the team! It's been so boring to watch lately."

"I wonder how long he'll have to retrain in the basics before they let him play?" This was said with a laugh filled with anticipation.

"Yeah, there's a lot of **good** newcomers this year too! Maybe he won't get to play."

"It's going to be great! It's been so boring without Hanamichi to screw things up!" The four all started laughing, sincerely happy that he had returned. Sakuragi pinched his self-pitying thoughts in sharply and then head-butted all four of them in quick succession.

"Damn it, Sakuragi! I was eating! What if I choked?"

"Oi! Yuso, he's really choking! Quick, hit him again! On the back, Hanamichi! Oi! Yuso!"

Youhei watched his friend throughout the collective ribbing and jostling until he finally finished his dinner. 'That guy, he's really worried about it. Basketball. Wonder if we should let him know about Haruko before he finds out tomorrow? Then again, Haruko might not be the only thing Sakuragi needs to know…' Youhei frowned contemplatively. Even though Sakuragi was terribly strong, incredibly durable, and learning quickly in the game, he still had a deficit of playing experience. Even if he were a 'basketman' in the truest sense of the word, there were others who could still easily surpass him before the injury. Suddenly, Youhei knew that the training beforehand would never be enough, and that he needed to let Sakuragi know.

"Hey, Hanamichi, you ready to leave? I've got something I want to show you…" Youhei said brightly, ushering him up and out toward his moped quickly.

"Hey…what about us?" The others tried to catch up to the pair, but the moped with only two people on it was much faster than their legs.

"Man, I can't believe they ditched us."

"You know, maybe its better this way."

"What do you mean?"

"I think Mito is going to show him **that**."

"Oh boy."

"Yeah, my head hurts enough for one day. We'll catch up later, when he's had a chance to recover."

"Poor Mito."

The remnants of Sakuragi's army continued on their way, laughing and cheerfully whistling popular songs, meanwhile Youhei and Hanamichi were nearly to their destination. Youhei paused before the school gates. Sakuragi blinked at the Shohoku nameplate on the stone wall.

"What is going on, Youhei?" Sakuragi had been wrapped up in the not-so-subtle web of self-doubt for the past three hours. "I'm not totally cleared for team practices yet…the doctors said self-training first."

Sakuragi knew he was only making excuses. The truth was that he didn't want the team to see how badly he was playing. He wanted to live out his daydreamed return…a flash of lights from many cameras from reporters.

'Oh it's the genius back from the hospital! Yay!'—this said by Miyagi Ryota, who jumped up and down like a cheerleader in his excitement.

'He's finally returned, now we can finally win!'---this squealed by Mitsuei Minami as he hugged Miyagi then Sakuragi quickly.

'Oh, Hana-chan, I've missed you so much!'---said by a breathless Haruko, flinging herself at his side, clinging to his arm.

Then Sakuragi would turn to the jealous and glaring Kitsune, who pales as the taller and stronger and much more handsome Sakuragi towers over him, 'Thank god you're back! I can't hold the team together without you!'---a sobbing Rukawa throws himself at Sakuragi's feet, hugging his legs in gratitude, 'I'm so relieved! Thank god you're back!'

Sakuragi, caught up in his daydream, burst out laughing delightedly, for the first time feeling uplifted since he left the hospital. "Nyhahahahahaha. That's right! I'm a tensai!"

Youhei turned and smiled weakly at his naïve friend, then ushered him toward the gym. Sakuragi was singing as he followed Youhei, for once very optimistic about his return after so long.

The sight that met his eyes at the gym burned into his memory to remain for a long time. At one set of doors the group of Ru-ka-wa cheerleaders stationed themselves determinedly, but there were more girls than before, and some of them were cheering for a strange name. Sakuragi turned his head toward the gym floor and watched as the team drilled in a scrimmage against Ryonan.

Sendoh was facing off with possession, not against Rukawa, but against that strange blonde guy with earrings. It was like seeing two copies of the same person, yet one was loudly trash-talking while the other quietly surveyed the situation and smirked at the other's comments. Sakuragi turned his head. Where the hell was Rukawa? A gasp from all the spectators and the unmistakable sound of a slam dunk echoed throughout the gym. Sakuragi whirled his attention back in time to see that strange bleached blond hanging from the rims. Somehow in the split-second that Sakuragi looked for Rukawa, Tenshi had stolen the ball and dunked.

Sakuragi clenched his fists, and then shouted angrily, "Oi! Sendoh! What the hell are you doing? Stop playing around!"

The movement on the gym floor froze for a moment as all eyes turned toward the doorway, where Sakuragi stood, fuming, fists tightly clenched and upraised threateningly.

Sendoh lifted a hand cheerily, "Yo! Hanamichi! Long time no see! Welcome back!" He dribbled the ball and looked for a clear pass.

The team on the floor paused for the fleeting second, but the players raced to the opposite end for defense. Only Rukawa paused long enough to look at Sakuragi for a moment, "Do'aho." 'Cheering for the opposite team.'

Sakuragi gaped at Rukawa, who continued to race back to defense, but in the time it took for his brain to register the greeting, so different from his imagined one, Sendoh had brought the ball back and took a three-point shot.

As Sendoh's fans, yes even a few at Shohoku, cheered his name, Sendoh turned and smiled at Sakuragi and gave him the V-sign. "For you, Hanamichi!"

"Eh?" Beside him, Youhei turned his glazed and disbelieving eyes to the red-faced Hanamichi. "What the hell's been going on?"

Meanwhile, Sakuragi's face turned fully scarlet, and then he turned and glared angrily at Rukawa, who was working his way back to offense. "Oi! Damn fox! Don't let Sendoh beat you! No matter what! You got that!"

Rukawa turned pointedly away from Sakuragi, "...hmph…" 'Now he cheers.' "Do'aho."

Miyagi dribbled the ball and searched for an open player, Rukawa was heavily marked, though he burned with the desire to get the pass…Mitsuei was out of position due to the heavy pressure of defense…and Tenshi was…there!

The ball shot between the players into Tenshi's hands as he plucked it out of the air and drove it into the basket with a commoner's shot.

Sakuragi seethed with frustration. Who the hell was the bleached blond whale? How dare he steal the ball that should have gone to Rukawa? He growled under his breath.

Tenshi paused and glanced over at the irate red-head. Then he grinned and gave the V-sign, "It's not so hard to defeat Sendoh, reject!"

"Kyaa! Ten-chan! Ten-chan!" The girls screamed the horrifyingly cute nickname and jumped up and down as he jauntily waved at them.

'Che.' Rukawa glared at the blonde's back, 'acting so tough after an easy shot like that.' He glanced over at the stiffened form of Sakuragi on the sidelines. The red-hair was like a beacon for his eyes. Sakuragi's mouth would soon go off, Rukawa just knew it. '3...2...1…'

"Damn it! Miyagi! Pass it to Rukawa! Do you hear me? Don't let that cocky blonde oni get the ball! Oi! And Sendoh! Don't let that bleached head Sendoh-copy beat you!"

Sendoh burst out laughing. Really, Sakuragi hadn't changed since he had visited him in the hospital a few times. Miyagi turned to glare at Sakuragi.

"You may be back, but you're not the point guard or the captain! Stuff it, Hanamichi!"

Sakuragi scowled back, "Ryo-chin! Stop screwing up, or else the tensai will replace you!"

Youhei grabbed Sakuragi's arm and patted it to remind him of his presence. "Hanamichi, why won't you just let them play…this time. You'll be back very quickly."

Sakuragi turned to glare at Youhei, but it didn't stay a glare. "Youhei…"

Youhei patted him on the arm reassuringly. "Don't worry."

Tenshi paused in the flow of the game to shout out, "Oi! Reject! You don't have to come back, I'm your replacement!"

'I'm your replacement!' The words echoed endlessly in Sakuragi's mind. Sakuragi's mind became a red haze, but before he completely lost it, he grabbed Youhei's arm and stalked out of the gym.

Leaving so quickly, he didn't see the punches that Tenshi endured from Rukawa, Miyagi, and Mitsuei as they passed him.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Rukawa glared at him coldly, before taking the ball in a short pass from Miyagi and racing in for a commoner's shot. He eluded Sendoh quickly, though not easily.

As the ball and the cheers went in and up respectively, Sendoh chuckled. "It was good to see Hanamichi again. You guys must be excited."

Rukawa turned an ice-cold gaze to Sendoh, "Since when does he cheer for you? And since when do you call him Hanamichi?"

Sendoh grinned cockily, "Jealous, much? Jeez, Kaede…I just don't like formality."

Rukawa's eyes were even colder, "Really, Akira? Watch yourself that you don't become too familiar…we're still enemies and it doesn't take much to take advantage of a lowered guard."

Sendoh laughed, and pointed to the end of the court. "You think you can beat me there?"

"Yeah..." 'And that's not all, jerk.'

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"Rukawa, what are you doing here?" Shirtless and every inch of his muscular chest dripping with sweat, Sakuragi exuded physical exhaustion.

Rukawa stepped forward, his eyes following the beads of sweat as they trailed down Sakuragi's stomach and beneath the waistband of his shorts. He licked his lips.

"Oi, Kitsune, are you here to laugh at me? Because I don't need that." Sakuragi's handsome face twisted into a troubled scowl.

"No."

"Then what are you here for?" Sakuragi demanded.

Rukawa watched Sakuragi's trapezius muscles ripple as his rival turned away to face the basket. Rivals…huh? How pointless, when they could be having so much more fun.

"To practice." Rukawa remembered that he needed to answer.

"Huh…yeah I guess even you need to practice." Sakuragi sighed, completely unlike his normal robust self, dribbling the ball.

"Is it difficult?" Rukawa asked suddenly.

"What?" Sakuragi turned, and found Rukawa staring at him with an intense look upon his face. His heart fluttered in his chest and he found it difficult to breathe for a moment. Then he carefully repeated, "Is what difficult?"

"Returning."

Sakuragi winced at the monosyllabic tone, shrugging, "My back doesn't hurt."

"But you think that it might. And if it does that, you can't play." Rukawa stood quietly, his arms crossed.

Sakuragi paused in his jump shot form, and then brought the ball back down, "Yeah. I got the all-clear. I'm trying to retrain my body after so long…it's difficult. Happy now, damn kitsune?"

"No." Rukawa answered tonelessly, but his eyes were flashing.

"Che…stupid fox. Who cares anyway, you've all got Ten-chan now, right? You guys don't have time to deal with me. Even Ayako-san and Haruko-san, they're too busy helping the others on the team…"

Sakuragi glowered through the sudden pain in his eyes, the salt burning the backs of his eyelids as he blinked rapidly.

Rukawa stood quietly, then whispered, "Did you really join just for her? Don't you love basketball?"

Sakuragi slammed the ball into a high bounce and turned around and grabbed Rukawa by the shirt collar. "Damn you, bastard, talking about such stuff. You're just like the others, always teasing about things like that."

Rukawa grabbed Sakuragi's hand and squeezed it. Neither was willing to submit. Rukawa's eyes burned with a nameless emotion, and then he growled, "Answer."

Hanamichi felt Rukawa's fingers biting into his wrist, and felt the penetrating stare reach right into his mind and focus on his doubts. Furious, he shoved Rukawa roughly.

"Yes, damn it! I love basketball. I love it so much that I can't sleep at night thinking about how I might not get to play anymore… If I can't remember…" his voice choked up. Sakuragi felt tears pour out of his eyes, and embarrassed to cry in front of his rival, he pushed an arm up to hide his face.

Rukawa released Sakuragi's hand, and instead of pushing him away, grabbed him by the neck.

"Huh?" Sakuragi found himself being embraced by his long-time rival.

"Do' aho. You can still play. Your body is just trained for pain right now, you have to retrain it. You have to remind yourself that you are strong. You have to push past the wall, or you won't be able to play the winter championships. You think you can beat me or Sendoh the way you are now?"

"Huh?" Face tear-streaked, Sakuragi lifted his head and stared right into Rukawa's eyes. "You're talking a lot."

"You finally shut up." Rukawa patted Sakuragi's back.

"Oh." Sakuragi felt awkward, held so close in an embrace by Rukawa, and yet, he felt comforted too. He lowered his head, his forehead nearly touching Rukawa's shoulder.

"I'll help." Rukawa said suddenly, his nostrils flaring at the scent of Sakuragi's sweat.

"Huh?" Sakuragi lifted his head and found his face very close to Rukawa's. "What?" His lips were almost touching the dark haired kitsune's.

"I said, I'll help." Rukawa answered, the movement bringing his lips into a light brushing of Sakuragi's.

"Oh." Sakuragi was having a hard time thinking, his heart was pounding. Did that count as a kiss? Was he getting kissed by Rukawa? Was that bad or good? He couldn't think.

Rukawa started to step away, but found that he couldn't escape Sakuragi's strong grip, so he stopped.

"I'll help train you back to normal. You're too good to lose." Rukawa kept his head turned slightly away at an angle. Their closeness was beginning to wear on his restraint.

Sakuragi seemed to be moving closer, Rukawa blinked rapidly. "Even if you guys have Tenshi?" Sakuragi's voice was very low key and depressed.

Turning his head abruptly to face him again, Rukawa's eyes flashed angrily, "That bastard? He's good, but he's not a tensai."

Sakuragi blinked, "Really? So you still need this tensai?"

Rukawa's eyes briefly warmed at the sound of Sakuragi's nervousness, "Yeah…but don't…"

He was interrupted as Sakuragi's eyes filled with tears, "You like me, don't you? You do! I thought you hated me for sure! I was pretty mad at you." His face was pushed right up to Rukawa's and their closeness forced Rukawa and Sakuragi's lips together.

'…let it go to your head. You still need to practice…' Rukawa finished silently in his mind.

Rukawa blinked rapidly as he felt awkward lips press against his, moving back and forth in a childlike manner. It was surreal. Like a kindergartner declaring love for the first time.

"Huh…Hana…hnnn." Rukawa tried to remind Sakuragi that they were in public, but Sakuragi slipped his tongue inside Rukawa's mouth. Rukawa forgot about his vow to keep their relationship free of such things. His mouth moved in accordance to Sakuragi's, driving his own tongue deeper into Sakuragi's mouth. Okay, maybe it wasn't kindergarten love after all…maybe it was…maybe it was…Rukawa couldn't think anymore.

They clung together, their mouths exchanging air, tongues, nips, bites, and licks. "Oooh…"

"Mnnnnnn…."

Rukawa tried to pull away, but Sakuragi's hands moved down to cup his buttocks. Rukawa gasped as his hips were brought in direct close contact with Sakuragi's groin. "Ha ah…" Sakuragi's fingers moved down the rounded flesh and inward from the back.

"Ah…" Rukawa gasped into Sakuragi's mouth as Sakuragi moved his hips against Rukawa's, simultaneously lifting and rubbing Rukawa against him. Rukawa's own hands were clinging helplessly to Sakuragi's shoulders. He began to tremble. Wasn't Sakuragi innocent in this kind of thing?

Sakuragi pulled back and stared at Rukawa's flushed face. "I wanted to say thank you for helping me." His rich brown eyes hungrily scanned into Rukawa's startled eyes.

Rukawa tried to catch his breath, "Ah…you're welcome." The sly bastard was still rubbing Rukawa up and down against his groin.

Sakuragi's eyes glinted, "Yeah, but I still haven't thanked you yet, though. Let's go."

"Huh?" It was Rukawa's turn to be confused.

The journey to Sakuragi's house was quiet, as Sakuragi pedaled Rukawa's bicycle madly. Rukawa held onto Sakuragi's back in a daze. The bike stopped suddenly, and Rukawa launched forward into Sakuragi's back.

"We're here." Sakuragi declared, bringing Rukawa and the bike through the front gate. The bike was placed carefully at the side of the door, and Rukawa ushered quickly through it.

Blinking at the sudden difference in lighting, Rukawa turned around, "Your parents…mphf…"

Sakuragi kissed Rukawa on the mouth, using his open mouth to coax Rukawa's open. "They won't come." Rukawa gasped as Sakuragi pulled away long enough to rip off their shirts, Sakuragi having put his back on before leaving the outside court. "Hmm. Rukawa, you have some nice muscles. Almost as nice as mine."

Sakuragi brushed his hands over them, and began pressing his fingers in random spots all over Rukawa's chest and back.

"What…" Rukawa blinked. 'We're still in the hallway. His parents could come at any moment…' "Not the hallway…" he gasped between deep kisses.

Sakuragi paused in his ministrations. "Oh." He slid his hands down Rukawa's back and slid his fingers under the round muscle, stroking quickly.

Lights flashed briefly in Rukawa's eyes, "Oh." His arms tightened around Sakuragi who grinned, then lifted Rukawa up and carried him into a bedroom. Rukawa blinked as Sakuragi set him carefully down.

"Wait." Rukawa said firmly, "Wait a minute."

Sakuragi kicked off his socks.

"I need to think."

Sakuragi pulled off his shorts.

"Hnnn. Wait…"

Sakuragi pushed Rukawa down on the bed, his hands working quickly to relieve him of his socks and sweat pants. Both were clad in their underwear and staring at each other. Rukawa blinked nervously.

"I don't think…you can't be serious, right? I mean, Akagi's sister…you just…"

Sakuragi stretched his body over Rukawa's and rubbed himself against Rukawa.

"Ah…what…no wait…"

Sakuragi's lips trailed over Rukawa's face and neck, then over his upper body, and he began licking, nipping, and sucking wherever the mood struck him. Rukawa arched his back.

"Oi...Wait!" Rukawa gasped. Sakuragi slipped his hand over Rukawa's penis and began to rub and stroke through the material of his underwear. Rukawa trembled and shivered. "Ah…"

Sakuragi's eyes glittered, and then he pulled back and whipped off his underwear. Rukawa's eyes opened widely, and then he paused, "Hanamichi…" Sakuragi's arousal was beyond his expectations. Rukawa slid his shaking fingers under the waistband of his own underwear. As the last piece of cloth between them disappeared, Rukawa's breath hitched, partly because of fear, partly because he was getting caught up in the moment.

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Rukawa bolted into an upright position from a dead sleep. "What the…?" He fumbled around for the light switch, and discovered that he was in his bed, on the wrong side from normal. He glanced down at his fully clothed body and groaned. "What the hell was that?" He placed both of his palms on his forehead and shouted out, "ARGHH!"

The actual events after the scrimmage transpired a little differently. Sure, the scrimmage against Ryonan ended in a close game, Ryonan managed to beat them by one point. Sendoh was cocky as usual, though he seemed a bit disappointed that Sakuragi wasn't able to play with them yet.

Rukawa left the scrimmage and ran into Sakuragi, who was practicing at one of the only outside courts in the area. But their conversation was monosyllabic in nature, and finally the tensai refused Rukawa's tight-lipped offer to help, before leaving in an angry huff.

Rukawa looked down at his soaked clothes. Not that his body seemed to know the difference in reality and dreams. He was still excited. He lifted himself from the bed, and entered the shower before his parents could see the state he was in. 'Jeez. Where the hell did that dream come from? There's no way Sakuragi or I would _remotely_…' Staggering toward the bath, Rukawa stopped dead at the sight that greeted him in the shower. Sakuragi turned around, naked and dripping, and grinned.

"Hey, Rukawa. You finally woke up. You fell asleep at the park…like an idiot. I came back for my jacket, but then thought I better take you home, since there were a group of rough looking guys standing around you. Ryo-chin would be pissed if you got injured. I carried you all the way back here… Guess my back is good to go! Hope you don't mind the shower, I was really sweaty. Hey, Rukawa? You don't look so good…Oi, Rukawa?"

The last thing that Rukawa noticed before passing out was that Sakuragi hovered over him looking concerned…and that he was still naked.


	2. Chapter 2

Second Rebound

By

Rapha7

----A sequel to "The Dream Rebound," Slam Dunk fanfic.

---- Yaoi content, RuHana, graphic sex, swearing

----Slam Dunk belongs to Takehiko Inoue.

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The squeaking of gym shoes on the shining veneer didn't distract Sakuragi as he stretched in preparation for his first practice after the rehabilitation. The doctor stated endlessly that it was extremely important for his muscles to be ready for action, even if he thought they already were.

The red-haired tensai's hair had grown a little longer since his treatment, now reaching his neck and feathering around his ears. The bangs were short enough that he could see through them, so it really wasn't an issue. He leaned over his left leg, right leg arrowed out as he continued to stretch.

A solid dribble—smash into the basket combination caught his attention. Completely ignoring everyone, Rukawa stared at the basket before driving up in a lay-up, or commoner's shot. Sakuragi watched for a moment and pursed his lips. Ever since that day that he'd nicely carried Rukawa home from the court after he fell asleep, he'd acted very strangely.

The moment Sakuragi appeared next to him, he always looked away immediately and put at least three feet of distance between them. His usual taunts were non-existent, and he wasn't lurking about when Sakuragi practiced…like he somehow usually was. Sakuragi scratched his head, then transferred positions of his legs to stretch out the right leg. The list of back exercises he was required to practice before real practice was endless, but no real problem for the tensai, he reassured himself silently.

"Sakuragi!" An unfamiliar voice shouted his name.

Sakuragi ignored it. No point in answering someone he didn't know. It wasn't Ryo-chin, or Ayako-san, or Haruko-san, or even Gori. Nor the Gundam, heck, they were standing over by the girls trying to exchange niceties. Not that the girls cared for the attention.

"Sakuragi Hanamichi!" The unfamiliar voice shouted loudly.

Sakuragi suddenly got in position to kneel, then bent over backwards, still stretching. The tensai was really very busy. This was important to his training. And that voice wasn't Anzai-sensei.

"SAKURAGI HANAMICHI!" The voice bellowed into his ear.

Sakuragi opened his eyes and looked sideways at the very annoying interloper. "What?"

The top of his head was touching the mat as he slowly rose into a crescent moon shape with his head and feet touching the floor. Back exercises were extremely important to his health. The pain was gone, but the strength needed to be rebuilt, encouraged, and reminded. Sakuragi nodded to himself. Yep, that was the only way to return to his former glory and surpass Rukawa.

The golden-haired oni stood next to him glaring. Ah, the Sendoh copy. Maybe it was…temshi, techi, no…what was his name again?

"Ten-Chan!" The girls screamed and squealed.

Tenshi waved to them, then turned his attention back to Sakuragi, "I don't know why you're bothering, Sakuragi. The team doesn't need you anymore. They have me."

Sakuragi ignored the blonde copy and flipped himself up to stand. He began to slowly stretch his side muscles, following the cautions that the physical trainer ingrained into him.

"DID YOU HEAR ME SAKURAGI!" Tenshi bellowed suddenly.

Sakuragi looked up from his next exercise, which was bending over all the way, his head nearly to the floor, wrapping his arms around the backs of his ankles. He glared.

A ball suddenly flew through the air and slammed into Tenshi's head.

"What the hell?" Tenshi staggered, then whipped his head around to glare at the interloper, "Who the…"

Rukawa stood silently, glaring at Tenshi, then spoke, "Shut up. He's stretching. Sendoh-copy. If you want to stay on the team, work your own skills."

Sakuragi, although a little confused by the intercession, started laughing at the adoption of his nickname for Tenshi. "Nyahahahahaha."

Tenshi glowered, especially as his fan girls squealed a bit at the face-off, trying to pick which side they wanted to root for. He stepped up into Rukawa's face, "Jerk! I could take you any day of the week."

Rukawa turned his face to the side, bored already with the discussion, "Hey, do'aho, you about done?"

Sakuragi stood up straight, stretching his arms up over his head triumphantly, "Nyahahahaha! The tensai's body is perfect!"

Rukawa's eyes widened, then narrowed on Sakuragi, then he smirked, "Except for your puny puny brain and large mouth…"

Sakuragi, who had been confused when Rukawa jumped into the middle of Tenshi's bull shit fest, grinned angrily, "Oh yeah? At least I don't fall asleep in any position, any where!"

"Hmph." Rukawa scoffed, "Is that the only insult your puny brain can handle?"

Sakuragi glared, the smile disappearing, "Like hell, damn kitsune! Let's get down to it then, I can take you on any day!"

Rukawa pointed at the ball near Sakuragi's feet, "Then take that and prove it, do'aho."

Tenshi stood to the side and shook with fury, "OI! I said **I** could take the Kitsune!"

Sakuragi picked up the ball one-handed, then passed by Tenshi with a superior air, "Shut up, Sendoh-copy. The damn Kitsune is mine! Why don't you go play with yourself?"

Tenshi flushed with fury, then tried grabbing the ball from Sakuragi. "You damn jerk!" Sakuragi lifted the ball high over Tenshi's head, Tenshi was only half an inch shorter, so it wasn't that much out of his reach if he jumped, then passed it to Rukawa one handed. Rukawa caught the ball out of the air and looped it several times around his waist.

"Hurry up, do'aho. You're pretty rusty. You wouldn't want your warm up to cool down already." Rukawa glared threateningly.

Sakuragi burst out laughing, "The tensai is perfect! Let's go, damn kitsune!"

The other members of the team had paused to see the newcomer challenge the contradictory duo and finally relaxed to see the status quo hadn't really changed. Sakuragi and Rukawa faced off in a one-on-one battle at one end of the court, while the others practiced lay-ups and passing at the other end.

Tenshi stalked over to where the managers were standing, "Damn it!"

Ayako grinned, "What's wrong, Ten-chan?"

The blonde Sendoh-copy glared, "I'm not being taken seriously! I could totally kick Rukawa's butt. And Sakuragi is practically worthless on the court!"

Haruko frowned, "You don't know enough about them to say that, Tenshi-san. They work very hard and are getting better every day. Of course, Rukawa has a lot of amazing skills, but Sakuragi jumps really high, runs fast, and is learning more and more. He only started playing last year, when we were in the playoffs and won against…WHOO HOO! RUKAWA! AWESOME!" Haruko started jumping up and down.

Tenshi glowered angrily as he spun around to see Rukawa drop down from briefly hanging on the rim. Anyone could slam dunk. It wasn't anything that spectacular. This time, Sakuragi had the ball and tried repeatedly driving past Rukawa, who wasn't fooled by any of his fakes.

"Hey, do'aho, are you going to the basket at all today?" Rukawa scoffed, reaching out his arms and dancing to every little move that Sakuragi tried.

Sakuragi growled, "Of course!" He suddenly completely faked Rukawa, adding a twist spin to his fake, then jumped up into the air. No one believed that he would actually get near the basket, so far away he was. But the jump easily reached the basket and he slammed the ball down through the hoop.

"HaHa! Sakuragi Hanamichi! I'm a tensai!" Sakuragi crowed triumphantly to the astounded people on the court.

"WHOO HOO! WAY TO GO SAKURAGI-SAN!" Haruko cheered, with Ayako clapping wholeheartedly beside her. The Gundam were also going nuts, of course.

Tenshi blinked twice. Well anyone could dunk, but jumping like that…he frowned. Ayako patted him consolingly on the shoulder.

"Hey! Tenshi!" Ryota shouted, barging over toward the managers with bloodlust in his eyes, "Do you think that you are excluded from team practice? GET ON THE COURT!" He roared.

Tenshi turned and frowned briefly before trotting out on the court to take his place in the lay-up line.

Meanwhile Sakuragi had continued laughing like a hyena, the ball tucked under his arm as he crowed about his genius. Rukawa slapped it easily out of his hold, dribbling it past him.

"That's only one shot to my five…is that the work of a tensai?" Rukawa's words mocked him.

Sakuragi glowered, "Freaking Rukawa! I'll definitely beat you!" He charged forward to defend, while Rukawa smirked.

Ayako and Haruko exchanged glances, "Well…"

Ryota glanced over at them, "Do you think they'll be all right? I mean, they do get better playing against each other… I kind of thought that Hanamichi might need some added incentive to keep playing…and Rukawa always seems to do that for him."

Haruko giggled, "Of course. Rukawa-kun's the reason that Sakuragi-kun keeps playing."

The others turned to stare at her with wide disbelieving eyes, "Say what?" Ayako repeated.

"You're kidding. They hate each other." Ryota scratched his head, thinking to himself that Gori's kid sister really was very dense. Especially since Sakuragi joined because of **her**.

Haruko nodded seriously, "Oh yes. They both love basketball. Look at them."

At that moment, both young men were striving for the ball with looks of complete concentration on their faces, completely absorbed in their face-off. The constant trash talking between them brought mutual smiles of determination and glints to their eyes.

"See?" Haruko said simply.

Ayako and Ryota turned to look at her, a little confused. It kind of seemed true. But somehow it seemed off the mark…

"Sakuragi-kun loves basketball because of Rukawa-kun. And Rukawa-kun, well, he's always been good at basketball, but when he plays Sakuragi, he seems like he's having fun." Haruko's voice got softer, "You might even say that he doesn't seem to see anyone or anything else…"

Ayako burst out laughing, "Well of course, you ninny, but that's because Rukawa wants to go pro!"

"So does Sakuragi-kun." Haruko nodded seriously, "They really drive each other forward…"

Ryota snorted, "Whatever. I'm getting back to practice."

As he trotted back on the court, he glanced over to where Rukawa and Sakuragi faced off continuously. Ever since Sakuragi had returned from rehabilitation and Rukawa from the All-Japan camp, it seemed that they had evolved a little. It was a little amazing, considering that last year they spent most of it scuffling with each other. Ryota charged into the lay-up lineup, catching the pass and dribbling up to the basket. Well, they weren't the only ones who could evolve. This year they had to get to Nationals. They owed it to Anzai-sensei.

--------------------------

After practice, Sakuragi sang loudly in the showers as he soaped away the sweat. Everyone else had gone home, except the kitsune, who still practiced in the gym. Sakuragi soaped his hair, continuing his song, gargling a little as water flowed into his mouth.

Rukawa stood at the entrance of the team locker room, pausing to close the door as he made his way inside. The showers were still running and a loud voice sang a silly song about genius and beating Rukawa. He almost smiled, except that it kind of pissed him off. He shed his t-shirt, shorts, and other clothes quickly, heading for the showers. If he hurried, maybe he could get some practice in at the public court.

Rukawa entered the showers and caught sight of Sakuragi's large muscled frame at the corner. He deliberately chose the shower head directly next to him. Sakuragi was completely oblivious to the addition of an audience to his song as he continued the third verse.

Rukawa turned on the shower head, which got Sakuragi's attention immediately.

"AH! Rukawa! Damn kitsune! Sneaking up on me!" Sakuragi bellowed, soap still in his hair, dripping down his face.

Rukawa waited…and didn't have long to wait for the bellow of pain that accompanied the soap getting into Sakuragi's eyes.

"AH! I'm blind!" Sakuragi reached out blindly, one hand over his eyes, trying to ease the soap-pain, and the other trying to find a safe harbor. Rukawa's eyes widened as the hand reached him, slipped on his wet skin and scrambled for a good hold. "AH! Rukawa! Help me!" Sakuragi yelled, trying to get the soap out of his eyes and avoid stumbling at the same time.

Rukawa, who'd just started soaping up himself, and now was being blindly groped by Sakuragi, gaped in disbelief at the situation.

"Do'aho, just rinse out the soap. You're right under the….whoa!"

Sakuragi's foot slipped on the bar of soap that had fallen to the floor when he had grabbed Rukawa and suddenly he lurched, full body wet, soapy, and naked toward Rukawa. Rukawa yelped as he fell over backward at the unexpected weight when his feet slid on the shower floor.

They crashed to the floor in a mess of arms, legs, soap, and blindness. Rukawa groaned as he felt a lump beginning to form on his head. Sakuragi groaned as he tried to figure out what happened, and why the floor was wet and soft. His hands started exploring the "floor".

Rukawa gasped, then tried to sit up, "That's not the floor, do'aho! Stop grabbing me! You pervert!" He tried shoving Sakuragi, but Sakuragi was heavy and pretty strong.

Sakuragi blinked, his eyes still burning through the soap, "Huh? Rukawa, why are you down there?"

"DO'AHO!" Rukawa yelled, "You pushed me down here! Get off now!"

Sakuragi blinked, the soap finally clearing from his eyes and hair from the continuous spray of the shower. "Oh, I'm not blind anymore." His voice was filled with complete relief. He completely ignored the situation.

Rukawa's eyes bulged, "Do you like lying on top of me or something? Get off!"

Sakuragi blinked, then looked down at Rukawa again, as if he were confused about how the kitsune had gotten there, "Huh? So what? I'll move…but right now…" Sakuragi groaned.

Rukawa blinked, then frowned, "No way, don't tell you injured your back? You just came back you idiot!"

Sakuragi lifted his head and stared at Rukawa with puppy dog brown eyes, "I think I'm kind of stuck."

"WHAT!" Rukawa tried pushing on Sakuragi, who groaned in agony. His hands down around his waist.

"WHAT! You pervert!" Rukawa yelled, unable to scramble away.

"Stop that, damn fox…" Sakuragi's voice sounded weak. "It's really stuck. In the drain? Is that even possible?"

Rukawa's eyes dropped down at the floor where the water was pooling around them. Sure enough, the drain was right where Sakuragi's…suddenly enlightenment hit him.

"No way! Oh shit!"

Sakuragi groaned again, "It's caught…was the lid off or something? Why did this have to happen? Am I gonna lose it?" He started crying in fright.

Rukawa blinked, "Of course not." He turned his head, there was another drain right next to him. Okay, now maybe he could see what happened. He stretched a hand and lifted the cover off to inspect the inside, though it was difficult to see from that angle. Under the drain cover there was a pipe that led down, but it wasn't that small, which meant that…Rukawa gulped.

"Um Sakuragi. Are you excited or something?"

"Huh?" Sakuragi looked up at Rukawa, tears streaming down his face, as his fingers prodded at the drain. His chin was at Rukawa's abdomen.

"Are you erect?" Rukawa had the feeling that playing around with roundabout terminology wouldn't get them anywhere.

Sakuragi gulped, "Maybe…a little."

Rukawa groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead. "Jeez. You really are an idiot. Did you get erect before or after we fell?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sakuragi looked like he didn't want to answer.

"Okay. Fine. What calms you down?" Rukawa sighed, "If we get it to go to normal, it won't be stuck."

"Really?" Sakuragi looked excited and relieved. "That's great!"

"Yeah." Rukawa closed his eyes. What a strange situation. Who had ever heard of a situation like this? Only Sakuragi…

"So how do we get to go back to normal?" Sakuragi asked innocently.

Rukawa stared, "Are you an idiot? Haven't you even jerked off before?"

Sakuragi blushed, "N..n…n…no! The tensai doesn't do such things. It hasn't really happened that often, and usually it goes away on its own."

Rukawa's eyes widened, "Oi. You aren't planning for us to stay here like this for as long as it takes to settle…are you?"

Sakuragi blushed even redder, "No," He groaned, "Ow…I don't think staying here is going to help…"

Rukawa started flushing. Did that aho realize what he just said? That he found the situation…stimulating? Images from his dream started flashing before his eyes and he groaned aloud. 'Stop. Stop. Stop. Don't get excited. It definitely won't help.'

Feverishly he racked his brain. What was it that they used when things were tight? Lubrication… "Lubricate it!" Rukawa jerked up to see Sakuragi staring at his groin.

"Huh?" Sakuragi asked, his eyes glued to Rukawa's groin. Rukawa glanced down. 'Oh God no!'

He closed his eyes and repeated, "If we put something wet on it, we can get it out. Lubricate it. Maybe soap…or shampoo or something…"

Sakuragi didn't answer. His eyes were fixed upon Rukawa's groin. He reached out a hand and touched it.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" Rukawa tried bolting out from underneath him, but was still pinned.

Sakuragi blinked, "It's big. Right? Like mine is now."

Rukawa flushed deeper, "Give me a freaking break! This is weird! Just soap yourself down there and stop…stop touching MINE!"

Sakuragi had started stroking Rukawa, his fingers sliding up and down around the edges. "Hmm? But I thought I could practice on you, since yours is big too. That way when I do it to mine…"

Rukawa covered his eyes with both hands and screamed internally. "God dammit, Sakuragi! Stop touching mine!"

"Hey! It's getting bigger…and darker." Sakuragi leaned closer his head very close to Rukawa. "Hmm. You said lubrication might help? What else works?"

Rukawa took a shuddering breath, "Squeezing, stroking, and stuff…didn't your dad teach you anything? What about those guys you hang around with? They don't talk about it?"

Sakuragi's voice got very quiet, "Well, my dad died a while back. And I don't talk to the Gundam about things they can tease me about. They can get mean sometimes."

Rukawa lifted his head and stared at Sakuragi, "Huh? Oh." His head dropped down, "You know about sex, right? I mean we had education classes and everything."

Sakuragi flushed, "Well they didn't describe everything, and they didn't talk about this part. So how do we make it back to normal?"

Rukawa flinched at the 'we'.

"God. Just watch, okay? Don't do anything, just watch." Rukawa's hand slid down his side and pushed Sakuragi's hand away, then began stroking furiously. Sakuragi's head was really really close.

"Hey, what's this stuff coming out?" Sakuragi touched the end and fingered the liquid dribbling.

Rukawa stiffened, "Didn't….you…hear…me?" He panted, trying to remain calm.

"But it's not…" Sakuragi lifted it to his lips and tasted it curiously, "Weird. And it's starting to shake! Does that mean it's going to work? Is this stuff what's filling it?"

Rukawa's eyes bulged, "Can't you…uh…" His fingers were pushed away as suddenly Sakuragi's mouth replaced his hand.

"Uh…God! What…oh…god…"

Sakuragi started sucking.

Rukawa's hands grabbed Sakuragi's head and he arched his back, trying not to scream out. "AH!" He came quickly. After all, it was a very weird situation.

Sakuragi leaned back and wiped at his mouth, the faint shower spray all but forgotten. "Huh. It's back to normal again. But you can't suck mine. And all that rubbing madeyours bigger."

Rukawa shook and trembled, tears leaking out of his eyes. This situation was out of control. He covered his mouth so he wouldn't start crying aloud.

"Rukawa? Rukawa, you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?" Sakuragi sounded like he was going to panic.

Rukawa blinked away the tears, "Do'aho. What the hell did you think you were doing?" Damn if he'd let the moron see him cry.

Sakuragi flushed, "I don't know…it just…seemed right…somehow…Anyway, what are we going to do?"

Rukawa pointed at the shampoo bottle just above Sakuragi's head. "Use that, and you should get it out…unless it's too big right now." He covered his face with an arm, "If it doesn't work, we'll have to wait it out."

Sakuragi reached up and grabbed the bottle, "Huh? This?" Sakuragi started squirting the stuff down the drain. "Hey! It's getting easier…Hey!" Sakuragi suddenly moved from the floor so quickly that the cold air shivered over Rukawa's body. Rukawa sat up and looked at Sakuragi, who stared at the soapy extension of himself with wonder.

"It worked!"

Rukawa turned away and reached up to turn off the shower. He slowly stood, ignoring Sakuragi completely. He paused for a moment, then said slowly, "Good. Wash up and don't be so stupid again. Cause I sure as hell won't save you."

Sakuragi lifted his head to Rukawa, then tilted his head inquiringly, "Huh? Why are you calling me stupid? It was an accident."

Rukawa leaned against the shower wall, turning his back to Sakuragi. "My god…you can be so…"

Hands suddenly reached around and grabbed Rukawa's waist. Sakuragi pressed himself up against Rukawa invitingly.

"Hey…" Sakuragi bit Rukawa's ear lobe, "Want to continue helping me? I really don't know what to do…" He ground his soapy erection into Rukawa's backside.

Rukawa's eyes widened at the knowing tone of Sakuragi's voice. "You asshole!" Rukawa shouted, "You knew perfectly well what to do all along!"

Sakuragi chuckled deeply, then started sucking on Rukawa's ear, "If I didn't pretend, you wouldn't have 'helped' me."

Rukawa trembled with fury and something else. "You liar! You asshole!"

Sakuragi reached down and started stroking Rukawa again, "Come on, _Kaede_, you've been looking at me funny ever since I took you home. It was _obvious_. You even helped me. And…I heard you…"

Rukawa lifted shocked eyes and turned to see serious brown ones right next to his ear, "What?"

"When I brought you home, you were having a dream… You talk in your sleep, you know… I got all horny and had to take a cold shower, then you woke up…and passed out again. I think we can finish what _you_ started in your dream…" Sakuragi stroked Rukawa purposefully.

Rukawa closed his eyes and gritted, "You're making fun of me now? You bastard! And since when are you into guys? Haven't you been lusting after Haruko…ah!" Rukawa shuddered as Sakuragi squeezed him harder suddenly.

"It doesn't take long for you to get excited again…and Haruko-chan only thinks about you anyway." Sakuragi began kissing Rukawa's neck.

Rukawa flushed angrily, "You didn't answer my question, you jerk! Why do you like men all of a sudden?"

Sakuragi's fingers probed around the back of his bottom, reaching in to begin stroking. "Hmm. I never really thought about how hot…" Rukawa groaned deeply, "…it could be with a guy…but after 51 rejections, I started thinking. And then there was you, you're always staring at me, watching me, taunting me…pissing me off…and suddenly helping me. And then I heard your dream…" Sakuragi's hands worked at Rukawa, his fingers removing from his bottom, replaced with something else.

Rukawa gasped as Sakuragi drove into him. "Uh…"

Sakuragi groaned, "You feel so amazing…god…I'm going to lose it, right now. I can't wait anymore…dammit."

Rukawa closed his eyes as he felt the trembling of another orgasm hit him as Sakuragi's fingers worked him to climax.

Silently they stood against the shower wall. Neither saying a word until Sakuragi withdrew and turned on the shower again.

"Well, there's always next time!" Sakuragi said cheerfully, laughing like a hyena.

Rukawa's eyes opened warily, "Next time?" He turned his head to catch a thoroughly predatory look on Sakuragi's face.

"Of course! There's no way I'd let you go… Damn kitsune!"

Rukawa glowered, "Do'aho! Don't think I'll let you do whatever you want!"

Sakuragi grinned confidently, "Oh, sure. We'll just have to settle it like men!"

"What?" Rukawa wiped his wet hair back from his head and turned off the shower.

"With basketball."

Rukawa smirked, "As if you have a chance."

"Bring it on, Kitsune! Bring it on!" Sakuragi started whistling as he left the shower and dressed quickly, leaving Rukawa to stare after him in disbelief. Rukawa leaned against the shower wall and wiped his hair out of his eyes. On a sudden whim he pinched himself.

"Itai," No, definitely not a dream this time.


End file.
